School board adopts budget with $11 million shortfall

The Springfield School Board has adopted a 2012-13 budget projected to leave the education fund close to $11 million in the red. The board voted 5-2 in favor of the budget, but only after three board members leveled harsh criticism at School Superintendent Walter Milton.

The Springfield School Board has adopted a 2012-13 budget projected to leave the education fund close to $11 million in the red.

The board voted 5-2 in favor of the budget, but only after three board members — Lisa Funderburg, Candace Mueller and Susan White — leveled harsh criticism at School Superintendent Walter Milton.

Mueller, who voted “no” on the budget, said she thinks Milton has misled the board in the budgeting process.

“The old adage, ‘fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me,” I really believe this applies to this year’s budget process,” Mueller said. “I’m not going to be fooled, and I am not going to allow (students, faculty and taxpayers) think that this budget is acceptable to me.”

Board vice president Bill Looby, who voted “yes,” said Mueller should take more responsibility for any problems in this year’s budgeting process. He pointed to a vote in April, when board members turned down Milton’s recommendation to save $627,000 by eliminating 11 administrative intern positions.

Looby also pointed out no board member made a resolution to restrict the district from spending into its reserves.

“If you wanted to choose not to (spend into the district's reserves), you should have made a recommendation (to the board),” Looby said. “If you wanted to choose to halt that, then that proposal should have been made … to come in at the end and decide it was done incorrectly, and that you were fooled, then that strikes me as disingenuous.”

Board member Judy Johnson, who voted “yes,” said she trusts the administration.

“This budget was put forth by the superintendent and the administration, and I believe they worked very diligently to come up with numbers to operate this district,” Johnson said. “We are not the experts … we are not the educators.”

The education fund, the district’s largest fund, pays for teacher salaries and educational programs.

Overall, the district’s $206 million budget includes a $24 million deficit. District spokesman Pete Sherman said roughly $10 million of that is in the form of Health Life Safety bonds that the district is spending this year. However, the district received that money as revenue a couple years ago but could not spend it within the same year causing what looks to be a deeper budgeting imbalance for this year's budget..

The budget approved Monday cuts 40 positions district-wide: 32 teaching positions, 1.5 librarians, three administrators, three study hall supervisors and a secretary. With other steps, the moves are expected to save more than $4 million.

Revenue from local property taxes will increase by $646,000, but money received from corporate personal property replacement taxes will decrease by $1.4 million, and general state aid is being reduced by about $825,000.

Page 2 of 3 - ‘Hidden’ positions?

The board also approved this year’s athletic handbook, even though White objected to the district introducing “quality control coaches” — people paid to tutor athletes after school — in drafts of the handbook. They are to be paid no more than $3,000 each.

White’s said the coaches’ duties are similar to those of academic athletic coach positions that were eliminated in this year’s budget. White said she first learned about the new positions while reading the draft of the handbook during the Sept. 4 board meeting.

“To me, that’s sneaky,” she said. “It was buried in the handbook, and I don’t appreciate that.”

Mueller agreed.

“For me, personally, this is an example of feeling fooled,” Mueller said.

Sherman said the stipends are to be paid with available funds within the athletic fund. District officials didn’t think moving money to cover the cost of the tutoring would be controversial, he said.

Johnson and Looby objected to the contention that there was any attempt to deceive the board.

“When we moved the GPA up for athletics, there were several board members that were very concerned for providing supports (for those athletes). To me, this is a creative (way to do that),” Looby said. “It’s tutoring for kids — I don’t know why anyone feels fooled.”

Lawrence diploma program to continue

Milton also said Monday he will blend resources between the Springfield Learning Academy and the Lawrence Education Center in order to continue a high school diploma program at Lawrence.

The SLA is an alternative school program housed in the Lawrence building that operates independently. Milton said sharing staff will allow the diploma program to continue.

New scoreboards

The board also approved funds to buy or upgrade scoreboards at several athletic venues, including Memorial Stadium. The $75,000 five-year agreement is with Murray, Ky.-based Sportable Scoreboards.

The board rejected the contract last month, but board member Nick Stoutamyer asked for a re-vote because he had missed the initial meeting and because of new information.

Stoutamyer said there is a new payment schedule and new sponsors have expressed interest.

White said she changed her vote because the money could come from a surplus in the athletic fund.

Sponsorships will repay the fund within three years, according to the resolution, and then produce revenue. Scoreboards are to be replaced or upgraded at Lee Field, Spartan Field, the Springfield High School athletic field and Memorial Stadium